7 Quick Takes: Some Favorite Things

Once again, be sure to check Conversion Diary where Jen has more lovely Quick Takes!

~1~

Stuff my daughter says. Sometimes being awake with a flailing toddler at three in the morning is Heaven. Last night Philomena had a nightmare. It must have been a doozy, because she woke up screaming. Apparently, it really confused her because in it her adored Daddy was a bad guy. She ended up in our bed. She snuggled between me and Will before he took himself out to the couch. Sometime later (we were up from after midnight until three-thirty or four), she says “Mommy, I love Daddy in my holy heart. Daddy loves me in his holy heart. You love Daddy in your holy heart.”

~2~

John Mulcaster Carrick, The Death of King Arthur, 1862.

Games my family plays. Philomena commits regicide at least once a week. She takes her Daddy by the hand and leads him away for a game of dress up. She drapes a blanket around his shoulders, places a tiara on his head and hands him her trusty Nerf sword. She wraps herself in a blanket, places a tiara on her own head and kneels down in front of the rocking chair, where King Daddy is distributing largesse to the stuffed animal populace. He decides to knight her. He dubs her Dame Philomena, and hands her the sword. Philomena says “Thank you, Majesty, ” and takes the sword, only to immediately spin around, yell “Sword!” and thrust her vorpal blade into the King Daddy’s armpit. He obligingly expires, and they start over again.

~3~

SPF 100 sunblock. It’s hot here! Unbelievably hot. It is also always sunny. I’m a bit of a puddle duck. I love rain. I do not love excessive heat. It makes me cranky, and, adding to the crankiness is the anxiety that pale Irish me will tan or burn. I don’t want to tan, beyond looking healthy. Tanning results in a shar-pei like old age. I refuse to spend my youth offering my body to Apollo when he will only laugh hollowly when I’m a pruned 65 year old. Ideally, I’d cover up in something billowy. Unfortuantely, it’s too darn hot to be covered up. The only things that are comfortable to wear are sundresses. The problem with sundresses is that they leave your shoulders and decollete’ exposed. Solution? SPF 100! No wimpy 75 for me! That, a sundress, and a big hat and sunglasses, will keep you skin cancer free and as cool as these heathen tropical climes allow.

~4~

Sean Connery in a red diaper Speedo. This may take some explanation. You see, Will and I are bad movie buffs. You can imagine how happy I was to see a frame from the post-apocalyptic cheez-fest, Zardoz, featured prominently by Simcha Fisher and The Jerk over at I Have to Sit Down. I was so happy I called my sister to talk about it, and we began to plan a bad movie night. She has to somehow get from DC to Savannah, we have to get lots of wings and beer, or margaritas, Will has to get a copy of Zardoz, and we will all huddle together on the couch, and watch Sean Connery parade about in a film that desperately tries to mean something. As a palate cleanser, I plan to have a selection of the cheez-tastic Twlight movies available. Totes Team Jacob.

~5~

Writing an actual proposal for something that might possibly get published in something. Yippee!

~6~

Eucharistic adoration. Catholicism means being able to mention Sean Connery in a Speedo and devotion to Jesus in the same post. My latest plan to take over our diocese for the New Evanglization is to try to plan a monthly night prayer and benediction at our Cathedral. It would be pretty low key, just sung night prayer, confessions and socializing afterwards. A couple of other slightly disenfranchised younger Catholics are interested in helping, and Will is going to put the idea before the parish council, hopefully before they decide to do something “relevant” and embarrasing in the way of a youth mass.

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Books! Books! Did someone ask for book suggestions?! Whoo-hoo! Some recent favorites:
– Over the Edge of the World by Lawrence Bergreen (about Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe)
– River of Doubt (about Teddy Roosevelt’s exploration of the Amazon)
– A Father Who Keeps His Promises (Scott Hahn’s classic about covenant theology)

Thanks! Hmm…I could use some good non-fiction. Teddy Roosevelt has always been a favorite of mine, ever since age ten, when I had to dress up as him for a history project. I even had a fake mustache and monocle. Also, 16th century Spaniards are just plain awesome.

Philomena is just adorable. I love the regicide story. That is so awesome. Bella has just started to get into exploring swords and death. So far no pretend killing of people. Today she was vaccinating her toy animals, though. Giving them “die medicine”. (Maybe I shouldn’t have explained that the polio vaccine the dr gave her was to keep her from getting a disease which could kill her?)